Tim, as a side note, when you mentioned being hesitant, my mind went immediately to the advice that John Wayne gave to Ron Howard in The Shootist.
My fear in our society today is the I'm OK, you're OK attitude. We have become less discerning and I worry that most would not be able to pull the trigger if they needed to or if they find themselves in a situation where adrenaline is pumping and fear is freezing them in their tracks. Would they be able to see evil when it is approaching them and deal with it? I listen to many when posts are talking about criminals etc... and many don't seem to think as the criminal thinks. They think as a sane, stable person. Criminals don't think like you and I.
I think that in educating people in firearms protection that they learn to do what kids are taught in school concerning the route they would take if their house was on fire. Play out many different scenarios in your head, locations in the house etc... and how you would get to your firearm. So much that can be done given this tragic opportunity. I just hope it doesn't get politicized to death. But it will...and nothing constructive willget done. *sigh*

I certainly hope that the NRA will be able to step up and emphasize education in gun ownership. I think my greatest fear in this is seeing as our government has overstepped and bypassed the law so many times, that they might do it here. It's really sad that we've come to this. Politics has become a game at the expense of the people who elect them. Bad time that we live in. We need to protect this right more than ever.

To clarify: when I mentioned posts that talk about criminal behavior, usually the detractors are anti-gun folks (not always, but usually). Didn't want to get misunderstood on that one - lol.

Good point Tammy, that is what Certified Firearms Instructors work to train you to do. They train the body as well as educating the mind. It is then up to you to practice until this becomes as natural as anything else you've done most of your life. Think of it this way, a criminal has, by his lifestyle, already settled it in his mind that he is going to rob, steal, rape or kill....all that is missing is the opportunity. He doesn't have to think about it, he just does it because it is so ingrained in his personality. In the Martial Arts, we train until the techniques are ingrained into our subconscious to the extent that we do not think, we only react. The "training takes over" so to speak. Repetition is the key, practice is the key, shooting maintaining good techniques, trigger control and follow thru are the key. Train with the mindset that you are in a situation where you have to defend yourself or family and your training will be much more effective. I carried to Walmart today. Had someone come in to rob the store only, then let them rob the store and then let the cops catch em' down the road. If they had come in and started killing people, that's the time to engage. You are not out there with a Clint Eastwood mentality to shoot every bad guy. It depends on what he is doing. You are carrying to protect yourself and family.

Good post Tim. You always take the most common sense approach to issues that become hotly debated elsewhere.

Now would be a good time for people to bone up on Georgia laws. Each state has different laws. For instance, Texas is different than Georgia (by a long shot). It would build more confidence and have less hesitation wondering if they are within the law in defending others, for instance.

These are questions that should be able to be answered by a Certified NRA Firearms Instructor. http://www.nra.org/nralocal.aspx
here is a link to a certified instructor in Covington, Ga. for those interested in taking an NRA basic pistol course.

put in your zip code, select basic firearm training and select Georgia under the drop down for state. scroll down the list to covington, ga. and click on the link for contact information.

http://www.kgw.com/news/Clackamas-man-armed-confronts-mall-shooter-183593571.html